Pick, Prediction, & Preview:

North Carolina Tarheels vs Virginia Cavaliers

The North Carolina Tar Heels will travel to Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia, to take on the Virginia Cavaliers for an ACC showdown on Saturday afternoon at 12:20 pm EST. The Tarheels are coming off a 40-37 road loss to the Syracuse Orange in overtime as they played well enough to win yet could not overcome three pivotal touchdown passes by the Orange in the final minutes of the game as well as in overtime as they suffered their third straight loss. The Cavaliers won their second straight game as they would beat up on the Duke Blue Devils by a 28-14 score on the road as they capitalized off two interceptions while also rushing for 178 yards for the game en route to the win. the last time these teams met was on October 10, 2017 as the Cavaliers picked up the 20-14 road win while covering as three-point favorites. The road team is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings amongst these teams while the Tar Heels are 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings in Virginia. The under, finally, is 4-0 in the last four games amongst these squads as well.

North Carolina Tarheels's Latest Performance :

The Cavaliers outgained Duke 376-320 for the game while the rushing attack gained 178 yards for the day with Bryce Perkins leading the way with 61 yards along with two TD’s while he also threw for 189 yards along with another passing touchdown in the victory, their second straight and fourth in five games. The Cavaliers only allowed 58 yards on the ground to Duke while Daniel Jones threw for 242 yards along with a touchdown and two interceptions for the Blue Devils in the loss. UVA has covered the spread in six of their seven games this year, overall. They are in second place within the ACC Coastal division behind the Virginia Tech as they will end the season with a matchup in Blacksburg that will likely decide the Champions of the division.

Virginia Cavaliers's Latest Performance :

In a game in which both teams racked up over 500 yards, the Tar Heels allowed the Orange to get three touchdowns from Tommy DeVito along with 181 yards along with an interception to help seal a 40-37 victory last Saturday, thus enabling the Heels to lose their third straight game. The defense for UNC got two turnovers, however, while the offense racked up 321 yards passing with Nathan Elliot having two touchdown passes for the game while Antonio Williams had 116 yards along with a TD for a rushing attack that had 179 yards for the game for a 4.4 yards per carry average. Despite the loss, the Tar Heels must have been fortunate that they were able to put some points on the board after garnering up only 29 points combined in their last two games. For the season, they are only scoring 23 points per game, however, the Cavaliers are stout on the defensive end in allowing just 18 points per game, overall.

How North Carolina Tarheels & Virginia Cavaliers Matchup.

Vegas Odds, Offshore Odds, & Odds ATS:

North Carolina is 3-2-1 ATS while the OU is 4-2

Virginia is 6-1 ATS while the OU is 3-4

In-Depth Analysis of each team:

This is a game that Virginia should indeed win in that they are on a high after having a stellar season thus far, while the Tar Heels, despite playing well enough to win in their last outing versus the Orange, have been terrible all season long with their only win of the season coming at home in a 38-35 win over the Pitt Panthers. In all, look for the Heels to struggle once again against a team in the Cavaliers that allow 326 yards per game to their opponents, good for 24th in the country. Besides, UNC is 0-4 on the road this season with their average loss being by almost 40 points per contest.

Against The Spread Selection: Pick: Virginia Cavaliers -9

My reason for the pick :

I will back the Cavaliers in this matchup as the Tar Heels have simply not matched up well versus a Virginia team that has really covered well this season as it relates to the spread, as stated. Also, combine this with the fact that their defense has really shined this year in allowing less than 20 points per contest, look for the Heels to struggle once again as they will go on to lose their footing early in Charlottesville en route to their sixth loss of the season.

Totals Selection: Pick: Under 49

My reason for the prediction :

The under will be the strong play in this matchup in that the Cavaliers are only averaging a tad over 20 points per game while the under has been the play in three of their four outings. As stated, the UNC offense has not exactly been terrible this year in gaining yardage as they are ranked in the top 50 in total yards per game with 422; However, they are averaging only 22 points per game for the season, lending to issues with offensive efficiency. I envision the Tar Heels struggling in this contest as Virginia is eyeing bigger and better things with bowl season approaching.

Betting trends for North Carolina Tarheels:

Over is 4-0 in Tar Heels last 4 games after allowing more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.

Tar Heels are 6-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.

Tar Heels are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 conference games.

Betting trends for Virginia Cavaliers:

Cavaliers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games.

Cavaliers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall.

Under is 5-1 in Cavaliers last 6 vs. a team with a losing record.

Falepa

A sports analyst and enthusiast, Filipa enjoys writing articles for NHL, NBA, NCAAB, and, of course, for NCAAF. In addition, he enjoys the true art of breaking down games in such as way as to locate certain trends that can impact future contests. With a willingness to research, construct, and relay information that any reader can understand, Filipa aims to provide the reader with interesting & indepth knowledge for upcoming sporting events.